Gutar Amplifier Project Thoughts
 

Guitar Guys,

As many of you know, I'm an electronics tech by profession and restore antique radios from the '30s. I've got a cheap little solid state amp to mess around with at home. I also have
1) A love of electronics that double as space heaters
2) A desire for a project
3) A love of rockabilly, classic country and old rock and roll

With those things, it seems a good idea for me to think about building a tube amplifier as a project. I'm thinking about building a version of the venerable 5E3 Fender Deluxe combo. I'm a brank spanking new guitar player, and don't know what I don't know. What I do know, is that compared to a radio these amplifiers are dead simple. There is also a good selection of kits ranging from PCB kits to point-to-point wired kits on turret/eyelet boards.

What I'd like the brain trust's opinion on the capabilities of this particular type of amplifier circuit, and what your recommendations are for a good kit.

I don't have any real interest in a re-issue or one built by somebody else. I'm pretty sure the build won't be a challenge, but even as a kit I'm looking at about $700 all in with parts, cabinet and speaker. Lots of different kits available. I was wondering if anyone has some recommendations and why you prefer them over another.

Thanks in advance, I'm sure there will be much information coming my way.

I'd recommend a tweed champ (5F1) with a 12" speaker. Basically a champ in a deluxe cabinet. I love the way mine sounds. It will work for the music types you have listed and blues.

These two sound great together.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1448509276.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1448509353.jpg

This is what it looks like inside. This one has a little bit more than your run of the mill Champ. I didn't build it either.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1448509534.jpg

Check out tubesandmore.com. I've been meaning to do my own build, but it's just too easy to find a great amp for a great price. For $700 you can get a KILLER tube amp. My drummer decided to pick up guitar after he grabbed a Fender Blues DeVille for $50 at a garage sale that needed $50 worth of work to make perfect.

Nice hardware! Is that an ES-335?

It would be an easy thing to adapt the champ circuit to a larger speaker and cabinet. Thanks single end 6v6 ouput should drive a 10 or 12 inch speaker, no sweat. Happens all the time in radio. I'll look into it.

I know $700 will get a nice second hand amp, and it makes sense. I also DO like project. I also think that I might like to use Turquoise vinyl and white grill cloth to match my T-Bird which is part of the appeal.

I buy lots of misc radio stuff from them. Good outfit, but I find their tube prices a little bit steep. Try Bob Dobrush at findatube.com. He has lots of great NOS American stuff!

Thanks! It's actually a '56 ES 175.

Another amp I'd recommend would be a Harvard tweed (5f10). I'm pretty much into the same type of music as you. Rockabilly, Real Country, Old Rock and Roll and Blues. I really dig jump/swing blues and western swing too. Now if I could only play the stuff. Playing guitar certainly isn't as easy as some make it look. Doesn't help getting started in your late 40's either.

Another route you could go is to look for vintage amps that are broken and repair or restore one. I seem to gravitate to Fender tweeds but I do own an exact clone of a Blackface Princeton Reverb.

Talk to Bruce at Mission Amps for any tweed kit. 5E3s are really cool. They are very simple and they sound great. Go for it. It wont be the last one you build and everyone needs to own a 5E3.

After you are done with that do a 5F4/5E5/5E7, or something with a tone stack, like an 18watt Marshall TMB. Move on to something with quad EL84s and/or an EF86 preamp, like an old Vox or a Matchless clone. Build something with a Presence or High Cut control. All of the old schematics and board layouts are online for the clones. Build a few different flavored amps and get a feel for what you like. Design your own from there. There are good sources for quality transformers, chassis, tubes and turret boards out there. Fun stuff!

This one looks like it might be cool. No hot-rod Turquoise cabinet, but it's a neat idea.
Tweed Royal 1x12 Combo – Build Your Own Clone

I could always order the chassis kit, and an uncovered cabinet from another vendor. Seems kind of steep for a kit with no tubes, speaker etc.

Ax-84
 

Take a look at ax84.com if you are interested in a tube amp. There are a number of different projects offered depending on your expected playing output, as well as projects by other members. Lots of valuable info. I was looking for a bass amp at the time and there wasn't much available, but lots of guitar projects.

I'm not a player....but love the blues....why do they line cases with a color that would make a Nawlin's whorehouse proud :D?

Seems like with your background a scratch built amp to your specs might not be terribly out of reach.

I put together a cheap tube amp kit a while back and would avoid the Chinese kits like the plague.

Here are some of mine, past and present.

http://www.fototime.com/9669E9BAB8FDE6F/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/2EAC81BD4F46E00/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/2239D6A695CFACE/standard.jpg

Good to know! I'm specifically looking to avoid PCB amps and Chinese made power transformers etc.

I've priced out a "standard" 5E3 kit with parts from different sources. Looks like I can do it for about $550, which includes a good quality cabinet, made in Canada Hyboer transformers, a chassis kit from Boot Hill amps and a quality Jensen speaker. It'll be a couple of months before I think the wife will buy off on it. I'll be pondering it in the meantime.

I built mine from scratch. Even bent the steel frame that holds the electronics. I'll dig up pix later.

On my phone, so limited resources on hand.
CES distributing for dang near any part.
London Power in Canada for extremely in depth books and kits.
I've got bunches of links when I get home.
-C

Okay, here are some links:
https://www.cedist.com
http://www.londonpower.com
and this guy, but he can be hard to get responses from: http://torresengineering.stores.yahoo.net
This is a great book, with a kit all spelled out (you can get all the parts at CE) http://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Amplifier-Handbook-Understanding-Amplifiers/dp/087930863X
and this place for tons of talk:
http://www.vintageamps.com/plexiboard/index.php

Champs are cool but if I were comfortable with electronics I would build myself a Supro 1624T clone

Or a 57 Bassman

Alright, we have 2 issues. We want to build a cool amp from parts, and we want one that will really do justice to the music we love. Find the best fit for both.

I play a lot of vintage stuff including Surf, Rockabilly, a little jazz, and 60s rock. Any early Fender or Supro amp circuit will cover that stuff well but I would insist on one with a nice spring reverb circuit. Reverb is a pretty important part of guitar tone from that era so find a Deluxe Reverb/Princeton Reverb circuit and include a full length spring reverb tank in your build. I recommend a 12" speaker in a larger cabinet for the widest choices and options.

You could do a separate Fender Reverb unit instead but I don't think they sound as good as the amps with them designed in.

Tons of interesting conversation and good thoughts from people... I expected no less.

I've looked at quite a few kits the last few days, and I've listened to videos of all the various models we discussed. I like the idea of the Supro, and I found a good kit for that one. I would need to figure out a cabinet, I do a good job with refinishing but carpentry isn't a skill I possess. I could build it as a head unity rather than as a combo though.

Guitar amp kits

Also, despite being one of the more expensive 5E3 kits I like the idea of the different circuits available in this one. Thoughts?

http://buildyourownclone.com/collections/amplifiers-2/products/tweedroyalcombo

Cajundaddy:
I'll have to do some more research to see what my reverb options are. Thanks for the thought, I understand that it's a big part of the guitar sound for that era/style.